Secure flash controller

Abstract

A computing device includes a non-volatile memory (NVM) interface and a processor. The NVM interface is configured to communicate with an NVM. The processor is configured to store in the NVM Type-Length-Value (TLV) records, each TLV record including one or more encrypted fields and one or more non-encrypted fields, the non-encrypted fields including at least respective validity indicators of the TLV records, to read the TLV records that include the encrypted fields and the non-encrypted fields from the NVM, and to invalidate selected TLV records by modifying the respective validity indicators of the selected TLV records that are stored in the non-encrypted fields.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A computing device, comprising:
 a non-volatile memory (NVM) interface, configured to communicate with an NVM; and 
 a processor, configured to:
 store in the NVM Type-Length-Value (TLV) records, each TLV record comprising one or more encrypted fields and one or more non-encrypted fields, the non-encrypted fields comprising at least respective validity indicators of the TLV records, wherein, in a given TLV record, the non-encrypted fields comprise one or more indications that a TLV has been programmed, and one or more indications that a programmed TLV is not valid; 
 read the TLV records that comprise the encrypted fields and the non-encrypted fields from the NVM; and 
 invalidate selected TLV records by modifying the respective validity indicators of the selected TLV records that are stored in the non-encrypted fields. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The computing device according to  claim 1 , wherein the NVM comprises a Flash memory. 
     
     
       3. The computing device according to  claim 1 , wherein the encrypted fields comprise data fields of the TLV records. 
     
     
       4. The computing device according to  claim 1 , wherein the encrypted fields comprise type fields of the TLV records. 
     
     
       5. The computing device according to  claim 1 , wherein the non-encrypted fields comprise length fields of the TLV records. 
     
     
       6. A method, comprising:
 storing, in a non-volatile memory (NVM), Type-Length-Value (TLV) records, each TLV record comprising one or more encrypted fields and one or more non-encrypted fields, the non-encrypted fields comprising at least respective validity indicators of the TLV records; 
 reading the TLV records that comprise the encrypted fields and the non-encrypted fields from the NVM; and 
 invalidating selected TLV records by modifying the respective validity indicators of the selected TLV records that are stored in the non-encrypted fields, without decryption of any of the encrypted fields; 
 wherein, in a given TLV record, the non-encrypted fields comprise one or more indications that a TLV has been programmed, and one or more indications that a programmed TLV is not valid. 
 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the NVM comprises a Flash memory. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein reading a given TLV record comprises reading only the non-encrypted fields of the given TLV record from the NVM, and, when the non-encrypted fields indicate that the given TLV record has been invalidated, refraining from reading or decrypting the encrypted fields. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the encrypted fields comprise data fields of the TLV records. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the encrypted fields comprise type fields of the TLV records. 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the non-encrypted fields comprise length fields of the TLV records. 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein storing the TLV records comprises encrypting plaintext data for storage in the NVM, creating one or more TLV records that hold the encrypted plaintext data in the encrypted fields, and storing the one or more TLV records in the NVM. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein reading the TLV records comprises reading one or more TLV records from the NVM, and extracting plaintext data from the one or more TLV records by decrypting at least some of the encrypted fields.